VIE Programme

Marine Juillard
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06-nov.-2014 17:17:18

Ms Sylvie Bermann, Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom, presented the prizes at the Grand Prix VIE UK 2014 awards ceremony, which took place on 4 November at her Residence in central London. This competition, which is now in its fifth year, was sponsored by the Committee of French Advisors for Foreign Trade in the UK (CCEF) and organised by the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK.
Ms Sylvie Bermann, French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, underlined the fact that the UK is, year on year, the third or fourth destination worldwide in terms of the number of young VIEs in post. Today, there are more than 700 VIEs employed in 215 companies throughout the country.
The VIE Programme, which is run by French export-support agency UBIFRANCE, gives young graduates from across the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes all EU countries, the opportunity to spend up to two years on an assignment outside France, working for the local subsidiary of a French-based business. The young VIEs must be under the age of 28 and posted in a country other than their country of origin. The VIE programme offers a range of advantages to companies; through the scheme, companies are able to source talent and recruit future executives.
The candidates for the Grand Prix VIE 2014 in the UK were asked to present the mission and the projects that had been assigned to them over the course of their contract. Each candidate submitted a written file and those who were shortlisted were asked to present their work to a jury, which then chose two overall winners.
Olivier Morel, President of the Committee of French Advisors for Foreign Trade in the UK (CCEF), outlined the quality of the candidates, who all had an impressive array of competencies and showed initiative, creativity, enthusiasm and strength of character, making the final decision a difficult one for the members of the jury.
Lauren Prigent, Risk Assessment Engineer at GDF SUEZ E&P UK, was awarded First Prize in the Large Corporates Category. In the same category, the jury decided to award a Special Mention Prize to Shairah Djouma of Sanofi UK.
First Prize in the SME Category went to Andrea Ghezzi who, as part of his contract with the trade association for the promotion and development of mechanical industries in France, carried out commercial prospecting for three companies — AHG, Lathuille Hudry, and Mure et Peyrot. In the same category, the Special Mention Prize was awarded to Farah Cohen for her work at Amiral Holding, a French SME.
Olivier Morel believes that the diversity of the assignments undertaken by the prize winners underlines the variety of projects entrusted to VIE employees. Other projects presented to the jury included risk analysis in hydrocarbon production, marketing in the health sector, commercial development for three SMEs in the mechanical sector, and the management of airport spas.
Thanks to the generosity of the members of CCEF, as well as Air France, Brasserie Blanc, Cirque du Soleil and Renault Trucks, the winners also received a selection of prizes alongside their trophies.
For further information about the VIE scheme and its advantages for both young graduates and the companies that employ them, please do not hesitate to contact Hervé Ochsenbein, Director of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK.
Hervé Ochsenbein, Director of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK

Amal Froidevaux
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12-déc.-2012 12:31:10

Almost 700 VIE graduates are working in the UK for a total of 210 companies in order to gain experience and contribute to the success of French-based businesses in Britain.
This successful government scheme enables employers to test future key managers in situ, find talents for given projects, source bilingual or trilingual professionals for companies and other organisations, and tackle localized labour shortages.
▪76% of VIE graduates are aged between 25 and 28, with a professional experience of their own before joining the scheme
▪60% of former VIE graduates, on average, are offered a permanent position after their VIE contract
▪50% of former VIE graduates are working outside France
We would like to hear how VIE recruiters integrate the VIE scheme into their HR strategy.
For further information about VIE, please contact:
Isabelle Tibayrenc, V.I.E scheme business development advisor.
+44 (0) 2070243638

Pierre Mancini
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04-oct.-2012 10:57:36

The Grand Prix VIE 2012 ceremony took place on 18 September 2012 at the Wallace Collection, in the heart of London. To enter the competition, volunteers sent a video and a five-page report on their assignment. Twelve of them were interviewed by a jury that selected the three winners.
This year, a brand-new category, the Hope Assignment , was introduced, which recognised the contribution of a young VIE developing the business of a French SME without the support of a dedicated office in the UK. The winner was Vincent Majeau from Plastiform ( http://www.plastiform.cc/ ), who won a coaching session from the British chapter of France’s Counsellors for Foreign Trade (or CCEF), a package of PR services from French e xport-support agency UBIFRANCE, and a Renault Sport Experience on the Silverstone circuit (England).
The Performance category winner was Pauline Chbat who, in the UK, is manager of Spa Be Relax ( http://www.berelax.com/ ). She won four days in La Palmeraie village, in Marrakech (Morocco), offered by Club Med, together with a £300 cash prize offered by Bouygues UK.
Claire Dioszegi is a method engineer for the Lee Tunnel Project and works for Vinci, the international construction group. She won the Integration award, with a prize consisting of a flight for two to the USA on Delta Airlines, offered by Air France KLM.
Silver Awards were given to Anne Sophie Bressy (Petit Forestier, www.petitforestier.co.uk ) in the Performance category ; Matthieu Frénois (Alcatel Lucent, www.alcatel-lucent.com ) in the Integration category; and, finally, Mariette Abovici ( GIE Vignerons d’Aquitaine, www.vigneron-paysan.com ) in the Hope Assignment category. Eurostar gave away a return ticket to Paris (or Brussels) for two of them, while the third VIE received a voucher (dinner for two), to be used in any Brasserie Blanc.

Marie-Alienor GOILLANDEAU
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27-sept.-2011 18:26:32

On Friday 16 September, at the Wallace Collection, in London, Mr Bernard Emié, France’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, unveiled the Grand Prix VIE 2011 awards. The awards ceremony was organised by the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE and the British chapter of France’s Counsellors for Foreign Trade on the 10th anniversary of the launch of the VIE programme by the French government.
“The submissions reflected the diversity of the profiles and the range of competences that our young talents make the most of, as part of the VIE programme,” explained Hervé Ochsenbein, Director of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London, in his speech, given before the announcement of the winners.
The candidates for the awards had to hand in a dossier in print together with a video-clip presenting their project and achievements. As the judges, who were members of the British chapter of France’s Counsellors for Foreign Trade (known in French as Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France or CCEF), underlined, the decision was not easy to make, since all the applicants showed a wide range of skills and qualities — the ability to see the big picture, charisma, adaptability, creativity and self-determination.
Rémi Campagne has successfully developed the operations of Magellium’s British subsidiary and won the prize for best Professional Project . The prize included a one-day high-performance car experience, courtesy of Renault UK, together with a cash prize of £700. Magellium is a medium-sized company specializing in imaging technology for the aerospace and defence sector. The second prize in this category went to Solène Doukhan of automotive group PSA.
The prize for best Entrepreneurial Project was given to Antoine Quentin, who works for Mobilitas, the international furniture remover. The prize included a coaching session with a member of CCEF, as well as a cash prize of £1,200. Antoine Quentin wants to set up a pan-European and dynamic web-based platform whose aim will be to better defend the interests of medium-size companies.
For the first time since its launch, the Grand Prix VIE in the UK was sponsored by several leading companies, which made it possible to broaden the range of prizes and for the winners to get prizes in kind as well as cash prizes. The sponsors were Air France, Bongrain, Bouygues UK, Eurostar, Maileva, Pernod Ricard, Roset UK and Véolia.
“We wish the winners of the Grand Prix VIE 2011 all the best for their promising future career,” says Isabelle Tibayrenc, who is in charge of the VIE programme at the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK.

Pierre Mancini
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24-août-2011 18:08:32

The Grand Prix VIE 2011 will be awarded at the Wallace Collection, in the heart of London, on 16 September, in the presence of Mr Bernard Emié, French Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The Grand Prix VIE 2011 is organized jointly by France’s Counsellors for Foreign Trade (CCEF) and the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK. For the third year, the prizes will reward young and talented post-graduates employed in Britain under the VIE scheme.
VIEs who have been working in the UK for over six months are invited to submit a dossier highlighting their performance or showcasing an entrepreneurial project. The two winners will benefit from various prizes obtained through partnerships, including coaching sessions provided by a member of the British section of CCEF.
This year, participants have to create a video-clip to complete the printed material they submit and to illustrate, with creativity, their achievements. Two categories have been defined: Professional Project and Personal Project . Both categories are resolutely turned towards the future, in order to underline the VIE scheme’s raison d’être — to boost the international career of young graduates, and to help French companies in their export drive.

Aurelie Guyomarceh
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17-nov.-2010 14:37:10

The VIE Department of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK is organizing a Recruitment Day for Gide Loyrette Nouel, a leading international law firm, tomorrow, Thursday 18th November 2010, on the premises of the French Trade Commission, in the heart of London.
In order to recruit a new lawyer, representatives of Gide Loyrette Nouel will be meeting 6 candidates identified by our Matchmaking Department in UBIFRANCE Marseille.
Among those candidates, 4 are currently based in Paris. The VIE Department has arranged and paid for their transportation.
This matchmaking event fits in with the objectives and remit of the VIE Department, whose aim is to help French companies and their subsidiaries identify and recruit new talents under the VIE Programme.
The VIE Department at the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in London is run by Ms Emmanuelle Mendy. The VIE Programme is run by UBIFRANCE, France’s export-support agency, from its offices in Marseille. The VIE Programme helps young graduates from France and other EU countries find employment outside France, working for local subsidiaries of French-based businesses.

EMendy
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14-sept.-2010 11:00:58

On Thursday 9 September 2010 was held the Awards ceremony for the 2nd Grand PRIX VIE run by UBIFRANCE and the French Foreign Trade Advisors in the United Kingdom (CCEF UK). The two winners were announced during a gala dinner run by CCEF UK, which was held in the House of Lords, in the heart of London.
The Awards ceremony took place in a most prestigious venue – at the Palace of Westminster, in the House of Lords – and further to an invitation from Lord Janvrin, Chair of Trustees, Entente-Cordiale Scholarship Scheme.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, the Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom; Jean-Louis Latour, General Delegate of the French National Committee of Counsellors for International Trade (or CNCCEF); Claude Bébéar, Chairman of the Institut Montaigne; Robin Niblett, Director of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (the most prestigious and influential British think-tank); and Hervé Ochsenbein, Director of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK.
The 2010 Grand PRIX VIE rewarded the most successful assignments of the VIE programme in the UK. Two young graduates employed under the VIE scheme in the United Kingdom came with their tutors, and they were given a prize, in recognition of the projects they have successfully carried out for their companies during their assignment. The winners were carefully selected by UBIFRANCE as well as a jury composed of CCEF UK members, who wished to reward outstanding VIE employees for their proven initiative and for their impressive contribution to the development as well as the performance of their company.
The prize in the Limited Companies Category was awarded to Mr Peio LAHIRIGOYEN , who works for international energy group EDF ENERGY as a Demand Analyst. His one-year VIE contract started on 1 November 2009 and is due to end on 31 October 2010.
The prize in the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Category was awarded to Mr Nicolas LECOINTE , who works for FLEXELEC UK , a company specializing in cables and flexible heating units, as Sales Manager. His 18-month VIE contract started on 1 October 2009 and is due to end on 31 March 2011.
Additionally, a cash prize of € 1,000 was given to each winner by CCEF UK
From left to right : Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom ; Jean-Louis Latour, General Delegate of the CNCCEF ; Peio Lahirigoyen of EDF Energy ; Nicolas Lecointe of Flexelec ; Bruno Deschamps, President of the UK Section of the French Counsellors for International Trade (CCEF) ; and Hervé Ochsenbein, Director of the French Trade Commission UBIFRANCE in the UK.
Written by Juveline Franchis

What the VIE Programme has to offer to companies Thanks to this scheme, companies that do not have subsidiaries in the UK can hire and bring over to the UK a qualified graduate from France (or another country in the EU). The scheme offers tangible tax breaks and cost benefits to the employer. Additionally, companies have access to our Business Centre for VIE (on the premises of the French Trade Commission Business France in London) and to coaching sessions with experienced trade advisers. Thanks to the VIE Programme, companies that already have a subsidiary in the UK can build valuable skills into their local teams and are able to test a future employee’s potential and abilities: the VIE Programme helps companies identify young professionals with the best potential for the future, out of a vast talent pool. The VIE Programme represents a win-win solution that benefits both companies (assisting them in their international expansion drive while providing them with tail

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UBIFRANCE, the French agency for international business developement, comes under the aegis of France's Ministry for the Economy, Industry & Employment. UBIFRANCE lies at the heart of France's public-sector export support framework.